Forests have a central role to play as the world confronts the challenges of climate change, food shortages, and improved livelihoods for a growing population. If predictions prove correct, the world will... Show More + need to shelter, feed, clothe, and provide livelihoods for another two billion people by 2050. This presents a staggering challenge, particularly given new research from the World Bank showing that world temperatures could rise by 4 degrees Celsius this century, impacting water availability, agriculture, and severe weather events. By 2025, two-thirds of all nations will confront water supply stress, and 2.4 billion people will live in countries unable to provide sufficient water for basic health, agriculture, and commercial needs.For centuries, forests have served as a kind of natural safety net for communities during times of famine or other events that impact agricultural and food production; they provide fruits, leaves, gum, nuts, timber, and wood for fuel. Forests feed people and Show Less -

Country-level impactCoST’s multi-stakeholder activities are beginning to influence project and contract management practices by making information publicly available and easy to understand.In Guatemala,... Show More + CoST has fostered an unprecedented joint effort for transparency in the public construction sector, with active participation from the government, the private sector, and civil society. Following recommendations from CoST’s Assurance Team, procuring entities now have to ensure that sufficient budget is in place before contracting firms. The General Directorate for Roads also annulled the works contract for the design and reconstruction of the Belize Bridge in Guatemala City, based on CoST’s advice.In Ethiopia, the adoption of an alternative road design recommended by CoST’s Assurance Team is expected to lead to a cost saving of around US$2.3 million. The CoST Ethiopia MSG acted as a crucial intermediary in persuading the Ethiopian Roads Authority and the Supervising Engineer to accept t Show Less -

Washington, October 1, 2012 -- In developing countries, jobs are a cornerstone of development, with a pay off far beyond income alone. They are critical for reducing poverty, making cities work, and providing... Show More + youth with alternatives to violence, says a new World Bank report. The World Development Report 2013: Jobs stresses the role of strong private sector led growth in creating jobs and outlines how jobs that do the most for development can spur a virtuous cycle. The report finds that poverty falls as people work their way out of hardship and as jobs empower women to invest more in their children. Efficiency increases as workers get better at what they do, as more productive jobs appear, and as less productive ones disappear. Societies flourish as jobs foster diversity and provide alternatives to conflict. “A good job can change a person’s life, and the right jobs can transform entire societies. Governments need to move jobs to center stage to promote prosperity and fight Show Less -

Washington, September 13, 2012 – It is time to rethink the role of the state in the financial sector, so that governments can better balance the need for credit and emergency support for banks with measures... Show More + to promote transparency and competition when crises erupt, says a new World Bank report.“Governments need to provide strong supervision and ensure healthy competition in the financial sector. They also need to support financial infrastructure, such as better quality credit information that is shared more systematically,” says World Bank Group Managing Director Mahmoud Mohieldin. "But the mixed results of their direct role in issuing credits merits close examination. Indeed, as we emerge from the global financial crisis, governments may want to consider shifting toward indirect interventions."The Global Financial Development Report: Rethinking the Role of the State in Finance, examines how financial systems around the world fared during the global financial crisis. Coincidi Show Less -

WASHINGTON, August 30, 2012 – Global food prices soared by 10 percent in July from a month ago, with maize and soybean reaching all-time peaks due to an unprecedented summer of droughts and high temperatures... Show More + in both the United States and Eastern Europe, according to the World Bank Group’s latest Food Price Watch report.From June to July, maize and wheat rose by 25 percent each, soybeans by 17 percent, and only rice went down, by 4 percent. Overall, the World Bank’s Food Price Index, which tracks the price of internationally traded food commodities, was 6 percent higher than in July of last year, and 1 percent over the previous peak of February 2011.“Food prices rose again sharply threatening the health and well-being of millions of people,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Africa and the Middle East are particularly vulnerable, but so are people in other countries where the prices of grains have gone up abruptly.”Overall, food prices between April and July continued Show Less -

“Ending AIDS and Poverty”Your Excellencies and honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues and friends,As we look back on the history of this epidemic, it is hard to say that there is any one... Show More + moment when the tide began to turn. Because the truth is that we have been turning back the tide of AIDS, step by painful step, for 30 years.And at nearly every turn, it is the activists, and their communities, that have led the way.It was activists and communities who devised safer sex, promoted condom use, needle exchange and virtually all the behavioral prevention we use today.It was activists who transformed drug development and regulatory processes, and involved patients in clinical research, cutting drug approval times in half in the global north.It was activists in Durban in 2000 who began to push for access to antiretrovirals in the developing world and who kept pushing and are pushing still for them to be affordable and available to everyone who needs them, everywhere.And it wa Show Less -

WASHINGTON DC, July 3, 2012 — New data showing a two-billion cubic meter increase in flared gas in 2011 over the previous year is a warning that efforts to reduce flaring need to be sustained and even... Show More + scaled up, said officials with the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR).The slight increase in flaring from 138 billion cubic meters in 2010 to 140 bcm in 2011, revealed in latest satellite data, is due largely to increased hydrocarbon production in Russia and shale oil and gas operations in the US state of North Dakota. While not significant when viewed against the longer-term 20% drop in flaring since 2005 — from 172 to 140 bcm — the new increase is a warning sign, World Bank officials said. Gas flaring reductions since 2005 have cut greenhouse gas emissions by a volume equivalent to that emitted by some 16 million cars.“The small increase underlines the importance for countries and companies to sustain and even accelerate efforts to reduce flaring of gas Show Less -

I am honored to assume the Presidency of the World Bank Group. I do so at a moment that is pivotal for the global economy, and defining for the World Bank as an institution.The global economy remains highly... Show More + vulnerable. We need to boost confidence in markets and within the private sector. And we need to boost confidence among citizens that our economic system and policies can deliver more sustainable, fair and inclusive economic growth.As a global development institution, the World Bank has an economic and moral imperative to help address risks to global growth, no matter where they emerge. A strong global economy benefits all countries; a weak global economy makes all countries vulnerable. It is urgent that European countries take all necessary measures to restore stability because their actions will impact growth in all regions of the world.Over the coming months, I will be engaging closely with clients, partners and my colleagues in the Bank Group to take stock of the challenges ahea Show Less -

Working with others we've launched an Open Data for Resilience Initiative, a global effort working in 25 countries. An example is haitidata.org, which makes risk assessment data produced following... Show More + the 2010 Haiti earthquake available for anyone to download and use.Similarly, Open Data for the Horn of Africa now facilitates open access to geospatial information, data and knowledge sources about the ongoing response to the drought in the Horn of Africa.My point is simple: Farmers, fisher folk, and others around the world are using data and technology everyday to deal with increasing uncertainty brought on by climate change. In Nepal they are using PDAs – computers that fit into the palm of your hand - to collect data regarding changes in food security situations. In Chile, farmers can use low-cost mobiles to receive SMS messages about weather forecasts, market prices and even the latest cultivation practices.In India, fisher folk can use mobile phones to receive messages about weath Show Less -

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 – A software application developed in Argentina that teaches about energy consumption, climate change and the actions needed to reduce carbon emissions took first place in the... Show More + World Bank “Apps for Climate” competition today. “Ecofacts” was one of 14 finalists from around the world that were celebrated tonight at the Connecting for Climate event at the Newseum in Washington, DC.“From carbon calculators and classroom tools to new ways of visualizing climate data and planning policy responses, the “Apps for Climate” submissions are impressive. These developers rose to the challenge posed by the WB’s Open Climate Data Initiative and have produced some outstanding products,” said World Bank Managing Director Caroline Anstey, who gave the keynote speech at the event.“Apps for Climate” was announced in December 2011 during the United Nations COP-17 climate conference in Durban, South Africa. Developers had until March 16, 2012 to develop and submit their applications Show Less -

Kenyan hip hop artist/environmentalist Juliani to kick-off projectWashington, June 28, 2012 – So, what does climate change mean to you? This is the question Connect4Climate (C4C) and MTV will be asking... Show More + young people from around the world at the launch of "Voices4Climate", a new global photo, video, and music video competition focused on amplifying the voices of youth on the issue of climate change. The launch for the competition will be held tonight, June 28, at an event titled “Connecting for Climate: Technology, Creativity, and Action” at the Newseum in Washington, DC.Creative young people from around the world will be invited to share or sing their personal stories about climate change for the chance to win prizes and receive international recognition at the December 2012 UN Conference on Climate Change in Doha. Music video winners will spend a day with MTV editors in New York or London and have their music videos featured on MTV’s ‘Voices’ platform.“We all have within ours Show Less -

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2012 — Robert B. Zoellick today said he would join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and the Peterson Institute for International Economics... Show More + in Washington DC after he steps down as World Bank Group President on June 30.Zoellick will become the Peterson Institute’s first Distinguished Visiting Fellow as well as also becoming a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.“I appreciate the opportunity to engage with the scholars and practitioners at Harvard’s Belfer Center and the Peterson Institute for International Economics,” said Zoellick. “I hope to work on the intersection of economics and security, applying history to policy questions of today. Both institutions have been at the cutting edge of research and policy development, and I have benefited greatly from both in the past.”As the 11th president of the World Bank, Mr. Zoellick turned around an institution in trouble in 2007, re Show Less -

New Approach to Financing Innovations in Food Security and Agricultural Development Unveiled at G20 Summit in MexicoAgResults: Innovation in Research and DeliveryLOS CABOS, Mexico (June 18, 2012) – An... Show More + innovative initiative that will enhance global food security and improve the livelihoods of developing country farmers through prizes and other market-based incentives was announced today by G20 Leaders. With a results-driven funding model that rewards innovators for tackling some of the biggest problems in food security and agricultural development, AgResults addresses global challenges in food security and agriculture by generating market-oriented solutions. The initiative aims to achieve significant improvements in the wellbeing of the poor and vulnerable in developing countries with a fund of up to $100 million, to be administered by the World Bank. The governments of Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundat Show Less -

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 – The global financial crisis of 2008/09 has not sent migrant workers streaming back home, despite worsening employment prospects and anti-immigration rhetoric in some destination... Show More + countries, says a new book on migration and remittances, published by the World Bank. In fact, migrants may have mitigated some of the pain of the crisis as they tend to work for lower wages, receive fewer benefits and rely relatively little on the state, says the ‘Migration and Remittances during the Global Financial Crisis and Beyond’ book. “During the crisis, remittances continued to provide a steady source of foreign currency to developing country economies at a time when foreign aid remained flat and foreign direct investment declined sharply,” said Otaviano Canuto, Vice President, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, at the World Bank. Removing restrictions on human mobility may help enhance financial flows among nations and alleviate some of the adverse ef Show Less -

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 – Developing countries should prepare for a long period of volatility in the global economy by re-emphasizing medium-term development strategies, while preparing for tougher times,... Show More + says the World Bank in the newly-released Global Economic Prospects (GEP), June 2012.A resurgence of tensions in high-income Europe has eroded the gains made during the first four months of this year, which saw a rebound in economic activity in both developing and advanced countries and an easing of risk aversion among investors. Since May 1st, increased market jitters have spread. Developing and high-income country stock markets have lost some 7 percent, giving up two-thirds of the gains generated over the preceding four months. Most industrial commodity prices are down, with crude and copper prices down by 19 and 14 percent, respectively, while developing country currencies have lost value against the US dollar, as international capital fled to safe-haven assets, such as German an Show Less -

Introduction Thank you for the honor of your invitation to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Inter-American Dialogue. The origins of this Dialogue stretch back to a discussion between Peter... Show More + Bell and Abe Lowenthal on a park bench. Peter and Abe were disturbed by the breakdown in inter-American exchanges during the Falklands/Malvinas war, and by the lack of ties with the rising democrats of Latin America. So they discussed bringing together leaders from across the hemisphere to set a new inter-American agenda. The Dialogue held its first ad hoc conference in late 1982. Today, 30 years later, Latin America’s very success offers the opportunity to remake that Hemispheric partnership around new pillars:A revived free trade policy that will aid structural reforms for growth in all our countries;An energy transformation, ending the Hemisphere’s energy dependency; A new diplomacy infused with private sector pragmatism to solve public problems;Shared Show Less -

New report points to 70% global increase in urban solid wasteWASHINGTON, June 6, 2012 – A new, far-reaching report on the state of municipal solid waste around the world predicts a sharp rise in the amount... Show More + of garbage generated by urban residents between now and 2025. The report estimates the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) will rise from the current 1.3 billion tonnes/year to 2.2 billion tonnes/year, with much of the increase coming in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. The annual cost of solid waste management is projected to rise from the current $205 billion to $375 billion, with cost increasing most severely in low income countries. The report, What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, for the first time offers consolidated data on MSW generation, collection, composition, and disposal by country and by region. In itself, this is an accomplishment because, as the report states, reliable global MSW information is either not available or incomple Show Less -

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2012 -- The World Bank Group today released its ambitious, new Environment Strategy for 2012-2022 aimed at supporting countries to pursue sustainable development pathways that are green,... Show More + inclusive, efficient, and affordable. The new Strategy responds to calls from governments and the private sector for new approaches to development in light of unprecedented environmental challenges and lays out a vision for “a green, clean and resilient world for all”. “We’re seeing that working through the nexus of food crises, water insecurity, and energy needs is being made all the more complicated by environmental degradation and climate change,” said World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte. “Countries and communities and the ecosystems they depend on need to build resilience while moving to more efficient growth paths. This Strategy lays out the areas where we will put emphasis as we work to respond to countries’ needs.”As countries seek to reduce Show Less -

Milestone in anti-corruption agenda unmatched by any other IFIWASHINGTON, May 30, 2012 - Marking another advance in openness and accountability in its anti-corruption work, the World Bank Group today published... Show More + for the first time a set of decisions issued by the World Bank Group’s Sanctions Board in cases of alleged fraud and corruption."The World Bank Group takes a hard line against corruption, and we believe that greater transparency must be part of that effort,” said World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati. “By publishing Sanctions Board decisions, we are making all parties involved in the sanctions process more accountable. This move should deepen the deterrent effect of debarments and enhance the educational value of the Sanctions Board’s findings."The first published decisions were announced at a panel discussion hosted by the World Bank Group Sanctions Board Secretariat to take stock of recent developments and consider ongoing challenges for the Bank Group’s Show Less -